74 Squadron Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4J(UK) Phantom fighter jet plane ZE363 at the RAF Manston airshow. Following the deployment of a squadron of Phantoms to the Falkland Islands, in 1984 the UK government decided that the resulting gap in the UK's air defences needed to be filled. 15 airframes were selected from among the best of the ex-USN F-4Js stored at the Aerospace Maintenance & Regeneration Center at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, refurbished, and entered service with RAF 74 Squadron in October 1984. Left service in 1991 later used for Battle Damage Repair Training

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Size: 3200px × 2096px
Location: RAF Manston, Kent, UK
Photo credit: © Avpics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -4, -4j, .3, 1980s, 74, 1988, air, airshow, archival, archive, douglas, force, historic, history, jet, kent, manston, mcdonnell, phantom, plane, raf, royal, squadron, vintage, ze363